On her birthday

Survivor of Hamas attack takes her own life

Shirel Golan survived the Supernova Festival (in the large picture after the Hamas attack), but was apparently unable to cope with the terrible experience.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/AFP, x.com/Ostrov_A)

When Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, the young Israeli Shirel Golan was celebrating at the Supernova Festival. While many visitors to the festival died around her, she survived the massacre. However, the horrific impressions must have been too much for the young woman - she took her own life on her birthday a year after the attack. 

What began as an exuberant festival near Kibbutz Re'im turned into a nightmare for the young audience one day later: at 6:30 in the morning, armed Hamas terrorists stormed the site and attempted to murder as many visitors as possible or deport them to the Gaza Strip. 364 victims died and 40 people were kidnapped. 

Golan and other festival visitors had tried to flee from the attackers in a car. However, the terrorists shot at the car and killed eleven occupants. The young woman was eventually rescued by the police - but her psychological wounds were obviously very deep after this ordeal. 

Victim suffered from post-traumatic stress 
A human rights lawyer has now reported that Golan took her own life - she committed suicide in her apartment on her 22nd birthday. "I saw that she had symptoms of post-traumatic stress," her brother Eyal told Israeli media. After the attack, she isolated herself socially and had to be hospitalized twice.  

Brother: "No help from the state"
"I asked her to take care of herself. She said she wasn't getting any help from the state (...) If the state had taken care of her, none of this would have happened," her brother accuses. The Israeli Ministry of Welfare and Social Services denies this: the young woman already had problems before the massacre and was receiving treatment. 

If you or someone close to you is in an exceptional psychological situation or is experiencing suicidal thoughts, please contact the telephone helpline on 142. You can find other crisis hotlines and emergency numbers HERE.